CHAPTER VI
BOMBARDED
Bob heard some object come rolling and ripping its way along from the top of the bluff. It mowed down grass, snapped off bushes, and, striking a rock, bounded up like a rubber ball.
"It's a pumpkin," said Bob. "Here she comes! Crackey!"
The pumpkin cut through the vines that sheltered the tramp and his friend. The man with the green patch over one eye seemed to have heard it coming.
He half arose, and just then the great yellow sphere struck him. He went flat as a pancake. The pumpkin rolled over him, struck a tree, and was smashed into a thousand pieces.
"Uh! what's this now?" spluttered the tramp, as pieces of rind, seeds and fiber rained over his body and face.
"Get out of this!" cried his companion.
"Yes, 'tain't safe."
"It's them boys. They've seen us, and are playing tricks on us."
"Let's make ourselves scarce, then."
Bob was about ready to laugh at the comical event of the moment. Just then, however, he had all he could do to take care of himself.
A second pumpkin came bounding down the bluff side. It took Bob across the ankles, and swept him off his feet. He was thrown headlong to the ground, doubled up like a ball. 
"It's Raining Pumpkins!" Gasped Bob
The boy grabbed at a bush, missed it, and went rolling over and over down the smooth incline.
There was a bare sheer descent for nearly thirty feet. Along this Bob sped, and he could not stop himself. He landed at the bottom of the slope, slid across the sand, and came to a stop not ten feet away from the blazing fire.
"It's raining pumpkins!" gasped Bob, sitting up and staring around him.
All along the beach the yellow balls were bounding into view. He saw the guards and the scouts skipping about to get out of the range of the missiles. Fellows who had been in hiding came dashing down to safe ground. Dave gave the signal whistle for "All in."
The boys gathered excitedly about their leader.
"See here, Dave," cried Sammy, "this is the work of 'The Blues!'"
"Of course it is," said Frank.
"Let's capture them," shouted Bob.
"Yes, it's pretty near time to go home, anyway," agreed Dave. "Keep together, fellows. If we catch any of them, we'll put them through a course of sprouts."
"Hear them! hear them!" yelled Sammy.
Derisive cries floated down to the beach. This nettled some of the boys. All of them were glad of a chance for new fun and excitement.
"Divide, fellows," ordered Dave.
"Yes, surround the enemy!" cried Sammy.
The two crowds scrambled up the bluff. Bob looked about for some trace of the two men he had found in their hide-out. They seemed to have gotten away from the spot.
The two parties got to the top of the bluff and ran towards each other, hoping to capture the mischief makers in a group.
They found a wagon which Jed and his friends had dragged from some farm near by, loaded for the market. It was only half filled with pumpkins. The rest of the load had been used to bombard the boys on the beach.
"They've sneaked across the meadow yonder," said Dave.
"Yes, I see some of them now," cried Sammy, eagerly. "See, they're making for that grove yonder."
There was a hot chase. Sammy had called to Bob and Frank to join him. They and several others kept with Sammy.
They reached the patch of timber and ran in and about it. They hunted in the bushes and even up in some of the trees, but got no sight or trace of the enemy.
Suddenly the well-known signal of the crowd rang out over near some haystacks. The scattered group ran in the direction of the call. They came upon Dave and six of his fellows, who had formed a circle. In its center were two panting, done-out boys of "The Blues."
"We've got a couple of them," said Dave.
"Good!" echoed a chorus.
"Find some ropes, fellows," ordered Dave.
Several boys ran towards a farm-yard near by. Bob noticed that one of the captives was Jed Burr.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Jed.
"Douse him in the lake!" cried one urgent voice.
"No, roll him down the bluff," said another.
"We'll do better than that," replied Dave. "Here, tie their arms behind them," he ordered, as several pieces of rope were brought to him.
"Hold on," said Jed. "Fun's fun, you know."
"Yes, you spoiled ours just now, so we're going to have some fresh fun," laughed Dave.
Jed tried to fight off his captors, but the crowd found it easy to bind him and his companion.
"Lead them over into the timber," said Dave.
This was done. In its loneliest part they halted. Jed was tied with his back to a tree.
"Now you'll have lots of time to think," said Dave.
"Yes, about pumpkins!"
"And tomatoes!"
"Ha! ha!"
They left Jed to his fate, kicking and scolding. The other prisoner they took along with them. A little on their way, they heard Jed whistling and yelling.
"Some of his friends will come and let him loose," said Dave.
"What are we going to do with the other fellow?" asked Bob.
"Oh, we'll give him a walk."
"Say, I'm due home," said the captive.
"Not quite yet," replied Dave. "You've got a long tramp before you, sonny."
"I only rolled one pumpkin."
"That's as bad as twenty-six."
"And it smashed before it hit any one."
"Never mind. We've got to make an example."
"Jed'll make you smart for it."
"Oh, Jed is smarting himself about this time," chuckled Sammy.
"March!" ordered the leader. They made their prisoner dearly earn his liberty. He had to escort the whole crowd home. As they dropped out one by one, the unhappy captive had to keep right on with the others. Some of the boys took the longest way home they could think of, purposely.
Dick Hazelton was the last one to reach home. He lived about a mile north of the town. They had dragged the captive around for nearly an hour at this time. As Bob was bidding Dick good night, the prisoner sat down in the road and began crying.
"Oh, well, if it's the baby act, let him off," said Bob.
He was tired out himself after an active and exciting day. When he got home, however, he did not forget to tell his father about the two men he had heard talking in the hideout on the bluff.
Mr. Bouncer seemed to take the matter quite seriously. Bob did not tell about Miss Simmons and the letters, nor about thinking he saw the tramp at Silas Dolby's house. He only said that he had met the tramp several times during the day, before he saw him with the man with the green shade over his eye.
His father went at once to the telephone and called up the village marshal. The next morning Bob learned that the officer had not been able to find the two tramps. They had probably left town.
Bob, Frank and Sammy the next day went over the route they had taken when they went to the Dolby place. They found the dog chained up, and even made a new search in the miser's yard, but they did not find the lost store key.
That day, too, the story of Simple Mary was told about the school. Some Fairview ladies had gotten her a pleasant place to work on a farm. Miss Williams explained in open school about the broken ink bottle, and all Bob's friends were made happy to see him cleared from a false charge.
The wind-up of the big bonfire had made "The Blues" and "The Grays" more at war than ever. About all it led to, however, was closer rivalry in baseball and football games.
Things started in smoothly at school. The daily routine of study had the usual fun mixed in with it. There was nothing very new or exciting until the second Monday of the term.
Then, just before school commenced, as Bob, Frank and Sammy passed the house where Frank had stopped the runaway automobile, Sammy pointed towards it.
"Hello!" he cried. "Some one has moved into that place since Friday."
"That's so," said Frank, noticing some big empty boxes on the porch, "and somebody is moving about there."
"I wonder if it's the fat boy's father?" spoke Bob.
"I'll bet it is," said Sammy, as they walked on.
"Hi, hello! you fellows!" sounded a breathless voice, a minute later.
Tom Chubb came running out of the gate of the place the boys had just passed.
"Oh, moved into town, have you?" asked Frank, shaking the hand of the fat boy.
"Yes."
"We're glad of it," said Bob. "Where are you going?'^
"Fm going with you," was the reply. "My father saw the teacher last evening, and I'm to start at school this morning."
"Hurrah!" shouted Sammy, waving his cap in the air.